A 16/17-28

Legislative Council

Agenda

Wednesday 14 June 2017 at 11:00 am

I. Tabling of Papers



Subsidiary Legislation / InstrumentL.N. No.
1.Hong Kong Air Navigation (Fees) (Amendment) Regulation 2017114/2017
2.Hong Kong Civil Aviation (Investigation of Accidents) (Amendment) Regulation 2017115/2017
3.Air Navigation (Hong Kong) Order 1995 (Amendment) Order 2017116/2017
4.Insurance (Levy) Regulation117/2017
5.Insurance (Levy) Order118/2017
6.Pharmacy and Poisons (Amendment) (No. 3) Regulation 2017119/2017

Other Papers

1.No. 102-Securities and Futures Commission
Annual Report 2016-17
(to be presented by Financial Secretary)

2.No. 103-Investor Education Centre
Annual Report 2016-17
(to be presented by Financial Secretary)

3.Report No. 20/16-17 of the House Committee on Consideration of Subsidiary Legislation and Other Instruments
(to be presented by Hon Starry LEE, Chairman of the House Committee)

4.Report of the Bills Committee on Arbitration (Amendment) Bill 2016
(to be presented by Hon Martin LIAO, Chairman of the Bills Committee)

5.Report of the Bills Committee on Arbitration and Mediation Legislation (Third Party Funding) (Amendment) Bill 2016
(to be presented by Hon Dennis KWOK, Chairman of the Bills Committee)

6.Report of the Bills Committee on Cross-boundary Movement of Physical Currency and Bearer Negotiable Instruments Bill
(to be presented by Dr Hon Elizabeth QUAT, Chairman of the Bills Committee)

II. Questions



1. Hon CHEUNG Kwok-kwan to ask: (Translation)


The Financial Secretary ("FS") said on 26 April this year that due to the higher-than-expected revenues from land sales and stamp duties as well as the lower-than-expected capital expenditure, the consolidated surplus for the 2016-2017 financial year would increase by $18 billion from the revised estimate of $92.8 billion to $110.8 billion. FS decided to earmark the additional $18 billion for education purposes, including the strengthening of the academic and scientific research development in the higher education sector. Specific allocations and details will be followed up by the Education Bureau ("EDB") according to the established procedure. On the other hand, the Chief Executive-elect ("CE-elect") has undertaken in her election manifesto to immediately increase recurrent expenditure on education by $5 billion each year after being elected to the office. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
  • (1)whether EDB has drawn up an allocation plan for the earmarked funds of $18 billion; if so, of the respective funds to be allocated to the five major education fields, namely early childhood, primary, secondary, tertiary and special education, as well as the specific uses of the funds; if not, when EDB will draw up such an allocation plan;

    (2)whether EDB has consulted the various education groups and other stakeholders on the allocation of the earmarked funds of $18 billion; if so, of the views collected and whether such views will be made public; if not, whether EDB will conduct such consultations and when it plans to do so; and

    (3)whether the current-term Government has communicated and coordinated with CE-elect and the personnel of her office to ensure the proper use of the aforesaid $5 billion annual recurrent expenditure on education and the earmarked funds of $18 billion; if so, of the details; if not, whether it will conduct such communication and coordination?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Education

2. Hon HUI Chi-fung to ask: (Translation)


July 1 of this year marks the 20th Anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region ("HKSAR"). It has been reported that the State President will probably visit Hong Kong at that time. On the other hand, on July 1 of each year from 2004 to last year, the Civil Human Rights Front ("CHRF") was loaned, free of charge by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department ("LCSD"), the soccer pitches at the Victoria Park for use as an assembly point and starting point of a mass rally. However, LCSD has rejected the relevant application submitted by CHRF this year because the venues have been loaned to the Hong Kong Celebrations Association ("HKCA") for holding a science and technology expo. LCSD has indicated that priority has been accorded to HKCA in making advance booking for the use of the venues because it is a charitable organization. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
  • (1)whether it has received any notification regarding the State President's visit to Hong Kong on the 20th Anniversary of the establishment of HKSAR; if so, of the relevant dates, visiting arrangements and estimates of expenditures;

    (2)whether LCSD made the decision to loan the aforesaid venues to HKCA purely on the basis that HKCA was a charitable organization, and had not considered if the science and technology expo that HKCA planned to hold in the venues was a charitable event; whether LCSD will review the mechanism for vetting and approving applications for use of recreation facilities free of charge, with a view to ensuring that non-charitable community organizations will have fair and reasonable opportunities in using recreation facilities free of charge; and

    (3)whether it has assessed if LCSD's rejection of the application submitted by CHRF will give members of the public a negative impression that the Government, in view of the probable visit to Hong Kong by the State President during the 20th Anniversary of the establishment of HKSAR, is trying to contain the number of people taking part in the mass rally so as to create a euphoric atmosphere; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Home Affairs

3. Hon Steven HO to ask: (Translation)


Some members of the public have relayed to me that there is an outdoor barbecue site operating illegally on a private farmland at Tin Ping Road, Sheung Shui, which has an area of 20 000 square feet. It is learnt that there are two other illegally operated outdoor barbecue sites in Kau Wa Keng Old Village area near Mei Foo. Such barbecue sites have caused odour, noise and light pollution nuisances to residents in the vicinity, and also brought about environmental hygiene and illegal parking problems, etc. As such barbecue sites sell liquor without a licence, law and order problems have also arisen from the troubles caused by their drunken customers. Moreover, the lack of fire service facilities in such barbecue sites jeopardizes customers' safety. Even though the authorities have instituted prosecutions against those persons operating outdoor barbecue sites illegally, the operators concerned just regard the fines as part of their operating costs. This shows that the fines are unable to achieve any deterrent effect and that there are loopholes in the relevant laws, rendering the problems unresolved over the years. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
  • (1)of the ordinances that currently regulate outdoor barbecue sites, including the licences that the operators are required to obtain; the current number of lawfully operated outdoor barbecue sites, and whether it has compiled statistics on the current number of outdoor barbecue sites operating illegally; the number of complaints received against outdoor barbecue sites by various government departments in each of the past three years, together with a breakdown by the content of such complaints;

    (2)whether the relevant government departments regularly conducts inspections on lawfully operated outdoor barbecue sites, so as to ensure that the barbecue sites are operated in accordance with the licensing conditions and the relevant legislation; of the follow-up actions taken by various government departments in the past three years in respect of those barbecue sites which violated the licensing conditions or involved illegal structures, and whether they instituted prosecutions against the operators concerned; if so, of the punishments imposed on the convicted persons; of the current progress of such follow-up actions; given that outdoor barbecue sites have brought about long-standing problems in respect of environmental hygiene, noise, traffic, law and order, etc., whether the Government has plans to amend the legislation to step up the regulation and raise the penalties, and step up its law enforcement efforts, in order to improve the current situation; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

    (3)whether it will put in place for outdoor barbecue sites a demerit point system under which barbecue sites under complaint will be given demerit points if the complaints have been found substantiated, and those barbecue sites which have incurred maximum demerit points will have to cease operation, so as to achieve deterrent effect; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; whether the authorities have other measures put in place to resolve the aforesaid problems?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Food and Health

4. Hon Frankie YICK to ask: (Translation)


The trading and logistics industry is one of Hong Kong's four key economic pillars, with its economic contribution accounting for more than 20% of the gross domestic product and nearly 750 000 people being employed by it. However, the container throughput of the Hong Kong Port has shown a downward trend in recent years. Moreover, it has been reported that the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs said in April this year that in order to avoid vicious competition among cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area ("the Bay Area"), Hong Kong might have to give up some of the industries in which it had no advantage (e.g. terminal cargo transportation) and should direct its development towards high value-added industries. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
  • (1)whether it has discussed with the authorities of the other 10 cities in the Bay Area the formulation of a plan for the work division and cooperation relating to the freight transport industry;

    (2)as the Government has indicated that it will submit its views on the planning of the Bay Area to the National Development and Reform Commission at the end of this month, whether such views will include proposals for the development of Hong Kong's freight transport industry; if so, of the details, and whether it has conducted any assessment on the impact of these proposals on the freight transport industry, the local economy and the labour market, and whether it will consult members and bodies of the relevant industries before submission of the proposals; and

    (3)as three of the 10 busiest ports in the world are located in the Bay Area and there are also five civil airports in the area, what plans the Government has in place to further support and consolidate Hong Kong's status as a regional logistics and aviation hub and to facilitate Hong Kong's trading and logistics industry to play a leading role in the economic development of the Bay Area?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Transport and Housing

5. Hon Starry LEE to ask: (Translation)


In recent years, the enforcement authorities under the Fire Safety (Buildings) Ordinance (i.e. the Director of Buildings and the Director of Fire Services) have issued, under that Ordinance, Fire Safety Directions ("Directions") or/and Fire Safety Compliance Orders ("Orders") to owners of composite and domestic buildings, requiring them to install fire service installations such as water tanks and hose reel systems, in order to meet the fire safety standards currently required. Quite a number of owners of buildings which have not formed any Owners' Corporation ("OC") or residents' organization and have not hired any property management company (commonly known as "three-nil buildings") have relayed to me that they have tried for a number of times but in vain to form OCs, and thus they are unable to apply under the name of an OC for the relevant building maintenance loans and grants. In addition, the number of contractors who are willing to undertake the works concerned is so limited that the tender prices for the works remain on the high side. As a result, they are unable to afford the costs of works involved in complying with the Directions or Orders. It has been reported that the owners of a number of three-nil buildings have received in recent months the penalty demand notes issued by the enforcement authorities and some elderly owners worry that the fines will increase progressively due to continued non-compliance with the Directions or Orders, leaving them with no other choice but to sell their flats at low prices. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
  • (1)of the number of composite buildings in respect of which the enforcement authorities issued Directions or Orders, as well as the respective numbers of prosecutions instituted and convictions in relation to non-compliance with Directions or Orders, in each of the past three years (together with a breakdown by District Council district and whether such buildings had formed OCs); the penalties generally imposed on those persons convicted;

    (2)given that three-nil buildings have not formed OCs and when some of the owners are unwilling to comply with Directions or Orders, other owners who are willing to comply will be saddled with fines as a result, whether the Government has assessed if this situation is fair to those owners who are willing to cooperate, and whether it will make changes to the current practice of imposing fines across-the-board on all owners who have failed to comply with Directions or Orders, and give a longer grace period to those owners who have taken substantive actions; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

    (3)whether it will, by making reference to the "Operation Building Bright", roll out an "Operation Fire Safety Building Bright" to provide eligible owners of three-nil buildings with grants for costs of works as well as professional support on technical and property management aspects; whether it will enact legislation to empower the enforcement authorities to undertake fire safety works for buildings of non-complying owners and recover the costs from the owners upon completion of the works; whether it will set up a fund to provide subsidies for owners with financial difficulties; whether it will examine the establishment of a building maintenance authority to ensure fair tendering processes for building maintenance works and to attract more contractors to bid for the contracts of such works; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Security

6. Hon Jimmy NG to ask: (Translation)


In order to respond actively to the national policy on "the Belt and Road", the Hong Kong SAR Government set up a steering committee for the Belt and Road ("the Steering Committee") as well as a Belt and Road Office ("the Office") last year, and appointed a commissioner to steer the Office. Quite a number of members of the sector that I represent hope to invest and start business in the countries and regions along the Belt and Road. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
  • (1)as the authorities, in reply to a question raised by a Member of this Council in June last year, indicated that they were formulating the work plan for the first stage and would map out the organization and functions of the Steering Committee and the Office, of the details of such work;

    (2)whether the authorities have assessed the effectiveness of the various tasks undertaken by the Steering Committee and the Office since their establishment; if so, give some examples of the tasks that have been successfully accomplished; whether any difficulty has been encountered in the course of steering and coordinating the policy bureaux concerned to carry out their work; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

    (3)given that the Chief Executive led a cross-sectoral Hong Kong SAR delegation to attend the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation held in Beijing on the 14th of last month, of the follow-up work to be carried out by the Steering Committee and the Office in the next step; whether they will examine the provision of financial support and tax concessions for the industrial activities conducted by local enterprises in the countries and regions along the Belt and Road, such as extending the scope of some support measures currently applicable only to local industrial and commercial activities to cover industrial activities outside Hong Kong?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development

*7. Hon YUNG Hoi-yan to ask: (Translation)


The Hospital Authority ("HA") launched the Case Management Programme in different districts of Hong Kong by phases in the 2010-2011 financial year to provide community support services for patients with severe mental illness ("SMI"), and extended the Programme in the 2014-2015 financial year to cover all 18 districts across the territory. As at 31 March last year, HA employed a total of 327 case managers to take care of over 15 400 patients with SMI (i.e. each case manager needed to take care of about 47 patients on average). Some mental illness concern groups have pointed out that the wastage of case managers has been serious in recent years and the manpower shortage problem has become increasingly serious (for example, the current case manager-to-patient ratio in a certain hospital cluster is as high as 1:70). Such concern groups have also pointed out that long-acting injectable antipsychotics ("LAIAs") help reduce the relapse chance of patients (particularly those who do not take medication on time), and patients who receive LAIAs at the early stage of their illness may obtain better curative effect, which will benefit both patients and their families in the long run. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
  • (1)whether it knows the number of case managers and the number of patients with SMI whom such case managers took care of, in the past three financial years, broken down by hospital cluster (set out in a table);

    (2)whether it knows the criteria currently adopted by HA for determining which patients with SMI should be taken care of by case managers, and the average time taken for following up each case at present;

    (3)whether it knows the number of patients with mental illness who are currently not being taken care of by case managers and whose conditions are stable but serious; whether HA has followed up and monitored the conditions of such patients through other channels; if HA has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

    (4)given that the relevant case manager-to-patient ratios in quite a number of advanced countries (e.g. Australia, the United States) range from about 1:20 to 1:25 at present, whether it knows if HA has assessed the number of additional case managers HA needs to recruit in order to be on par with those countries; if HA has assessed, of the outcome, including the number of additional case managers HA needs to recruit, the implementation timetable and the expenditure involved; whether HA will formulate short, medium and long-term improvement measures to reduce the workload of case managers;

    (5)whether it knows if HA will formulate a long-term strategy to enhance case management standards; if HA will, of the specific contents of and implementation timetable for the relevant long-term strategy; of the measures HA has in place to enhance the training for case managers;

    (6)whether it knows HA's estimated expenditure on drugs for patients with SMI in the current financial year and how such estimated expenditure compares with the actual expenditure in the last financial year;

    (7)whether it knows, among the patients with mental illness in various public hospitals in the last financial year, the respective numbers and percentages of those who took (i) first-generation and (ii) second-generation oral antipsychotics, and those who received (iii) first-generation and (iv) second-generation LAIAs (set out in a table); and

    (8)whether it will allocate additional resources to HA so that more patients with mental illness will be provided with LAIAs, especially second-generation LAIAs which have less side effects; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; whether it has plans to categorize LAIAs as first-line drugs in HA's Drug Formulary in the long run?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Food and Health

*8. Hon YIU Si-wing to ask: (Translation)


The Financial Secretary mentioned in this year's Budget Speech that the Government would invite the Hong Kong Tourism Board ("HKTB") to provide funding support to activity organizers and the tourism sector planning to launch tourism projects with local characteristics, with a view to encouraging the development of a greater variety of tourism products to attract more visitors to Hong Kong. On the other hand, HKTB launched a tourism project named "Old Town Central" in April this year, which repackages the local characteristics of Central such as its heritage buildings and landmarks, arts and culture, as well as dining and entertainment elements into tourist walking routes. HKTB also plans to extend this type of tourism project to other districts with distinct characteristics. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
  • (1)whether it knows the procedure for activity organizers and the tourism sector to apply to HKTB for funding support for the launch of tourism projects with local characteristics, and the expected maximum amount of subsidy that may be granted to each application;

    (2)whether it knows the districts in which HKTB plans to launch, in the coming three years, tourism projects similar to the Old Town Central project, as well as the relevant timetable and estimated expenditure;

    (3)apart from providing the funding support mentioned in (1), of the measures to be introduced by the authorities in the coming three years to support the tourism sector to develop a greater variety of tourism products; and

    (4)given that some members of the tourism industry have pointed out that one of the hurdles for developing tourism projects with local characteristics is the lack of practitioners in the industry (particularly tourist guides) who have a deep understanding of local history, culture, historic monuments, etc., whether the authorities will provide relevant training for tourism industry practitioners so that they can promote local culture and characteristics to tourists in a more professional manner; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development

*9. Hon WONG Ting-kwong to ask: (Translation)


Information collected by the Legislative Council Secretariat shows that as at September 2016, there were 165 927 serving civil servants and close to 9 000 civil service vacancies, representing increases of 7.9% and about 200% respectively over the relevant figures in September 2007. Moreover, 7 766 civil servants left the service in the 2015-2016 financial year, about 80% of whom being retirees. With respect to wastage and recruitment of civil servants, will the Government inform this Council:
  • (1)of the number of civil servants who retired in each of the past five financial years and, among them, the number of those who were offered further appointment on contract terms and the average period for which they were further appointed;

    (2)of the number of civil servants who left the service on non-retirement grounds in each of the past five financial years and, among them, the number of those who were civil servants of middle salary band;

    (3)of the number of civil service vacancies as at the end of the current financial year as anticipated by the authorities and, among them, the job positions with the highest number of vacancies and the reasons for that; whether they have assessed the impact of such a situation on the operation of the Government; what new measures the authorities have to fill such vacancies expeditiously;

    (4)of the number of new recruits appointed to the civil service and the job positions with the highest number of new recruits in each of the past five financial years; and

    (5)as it has been reported that about 90% of the departures of directorate civil servants in the 2015-2016 financial year were due to normal retirement, whether the authorities have plans to train up a sufficient number of civil servants who possess the relevant experience and competence to fill such vacancies in order to avoid succession problems; if so, of the details?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for the Civil Service

*10. Dr Hon LAU Siu-lai to ask: (Translation)


Last month, the Independent Commission Against Corruption arrested 21 staff members of a public works laboratory, who were suspected of corruption and having submitted to the Civil Engineering and Development Department ("CEDD") falsified concrete compression test reports associated with the works under the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Hong Kong ("HZMB") and related projects. The laboratory is operated by an outsourced service provider ("the contractor concerned") engaged by CEDD. Moreover, CEDD suspected in July last year that the testing time recorded in some of the test reports had been tampered with by the staff of that laboratory ("report-tampering incident"). The contractor concerned admitted to CEDD in September last year that the reports had been tampered with by its staff in order to make the testing time shown in the records fall within the required timeframe. However, not until the aforesaid arrest was reported did CEDD make public the incident. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
  • (1)of the reasons why CEDD did not make public the report-tampering incident during the period from September last year, when the incident was confirmed, to last month;

    (2)of the existing mechanisms whereby the various government departments notify each other and make public those accidents, blunders and irregularities which occurred in public works projects (including alleged falsifications by contractors);

    (3)whether the contractor concerned has, since 2012, been awarded any contract for conducting concrete tests for other public works projects; if so, set out by year in a table the following information of each contract: (i) contract number, (ii) project title, (iii) tender acceptance date, (iv) works commencement date, (v) anticipated works completion date, (vi) costs involved, and (vii) government department(s) awarding the contract;

    (4)whether the authorities will immediately conduct (i) visual inspections, (ii) non-destructive concrete strength tests (commonly known as "Schmidt Hammer Tests"), and (iii) core tests on the structures built under the projects mentioned in (3), so as to allay public concern; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

    (5)how the authorities will handle the uncompleted contracts of the contractor concerned; and

    (6)given that after the report-tampering incident had been confirmed, CEDD did not impose any punishment on the contractor concerned other than the issuance of an adverse Quarterly Consultants' Performance Appraisal Report to it, and CEDD has not suspended the contractor concerned from tendering for public works and, instead, awarded it a new contract for public works in March this year, whether the authorities will (i) tighten the mechanisms for selecting contractors for public works and evaluating their performance and (ii) increase the penalties for malpractice/default by contractors, so as to enhance the deterrent effect; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Development

*11. Hon SHIU Ka-fai to ask: (Translation)


According to the Catalogue of Animals and Plants, and Animal and Plant Products Prohibited from being Carried or Posted into the People's Republic of China which came into effect on 2 March 2012, bird's nests are prohibited from being carried or posted into the Mainland. In addition, there are also restrictions on the quantity of daily necessities and health food products that may be carried into the Mainland by travellers of Chinese nationality, and the relevant quotas have not been raised since 1996. Some members of the retail industry have relayed to me that such restrictions have significantly impacted on the shopping and spending behaviour of Mainland residents in Hong Kong. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
  • (1)whether it has enquired with the Mainland authorities about the reasons for and the situation of imposing the aforesaid restrictions;

    (2)whether it assessed in the past five years the impact of such restrictions on the retail industry of Hong Kong; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

    (3)as some members of the retail industry have pointed out that since the Mainland authorities signed agreements with the Malaysian and Indonesian authorities in 2013 and 2014 respectively to allow the import into the Mainland of Malaysian and Indonesian bird's nest products which meet the relevant inspection and quarantine requirements, it is quite meaningless for the Mainland authorities to enforce the ban on the carrying of bird's nests from Hong Kong into the Mainland, whether the Government will discuss with the Mainland authorities the following issues: (i) lifting the restriction on carrying bird's nests from Hong Kong into the Mainland, and (ii) formulating, by making reference to the export of bird's nests from Hong Kong to places such as Europe and North America, a set of entry quarantine arrangements for the import of bird's nests, which are acceptable to the Mainland authorities, the Hong Kong Government and the retail industry; if it will not, of the reasons for that; and

    (4)whether it will request the Mainland authorities to raise, in light of the present robust economic development on the Mainland and the increase in the purchasing power and needs of the Mainland residents, the quotas, and the applicable ceiling values for such quotas, for daily necessities and health food products which they may carry into the Mainland; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Food and Health

*12. Hon LEUNG Che-cheung to ask: (Translation)


A staff union of a tertiary institution has sought my assistance and told me that in order to escort students to places outside Hong Kong for taking part in exchange activities, some teaching staff members of their institution needed to perform duties or to stand by in the airport and on the plane to take care of students. However, among such staff members, those of a certain rank were not given compensation leave because the employer did not regard such staff members as performing overtime work during such period. Regarding the issues relating to the overtime work performed by teaching staff members in escorting students to places outside Hong Kong for taking part in exchange activities, will the Government inform this Council:
  • (1)of (i) the number, (ii) the details and (iii) the follow-up work in respect of the relevant labour dispute cases received by the authorities in each of the past three years;

    (2)whether it knows if the various universities funded by the University Grants Committee ("UGC") have drawn up guidelines in respect of the aforesaid issues; if they have, of the details; if not, whether UGC will request those universities to draw up the relevant guidelines; and

    (3)whether it knows if the various publicly funded tertiary institutions (other than UGC-funded universities) as well as government primary and secondary schools have formulated policies on the aforesaid issues, and how such policies compare with the relevant policies adopted by those policy bureaux which have made arrangements for students to go to places outside Hong Kong for taking part in exchange activities held in (e.g. the Education Bureau and the Home Affairs Bureau)?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Education

*13. Hon Mrs Regina IP to ask: (Translation)


Many local ivory shop owners and ivory craftsmen have relayed to me that over the past few decades, the trade has been in possession of and selling ivory while holding valid Licences to Possess issued by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department and there is now still a stock of dozens of tonnes of local ivory covered by Licences to Possess. In June last year, the Government indicated its intention to implement a plan to phase out the local ivory trade and halt the renewal of Licences to Possess by the end of 2021. By then, it would be an offence to possess ivory for commercial purposes. Moreover, ivory and ivory products are not permitted under the legislation to be exported or sold to overseas places. As a result, it is difficult for the trade to sell the existing ivory off. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
  • (1)of the current ivory stock covered by Licences to Possess;

    (2)whether it knows the local sales volume of ivory or ivory products in the past five years;

    (3)whether measures are in place to assist the trade in handling unsold ivory stock after the expiry of the aforesaid deadline; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

    (4)whether it will consider adopting the trade's suggestion of the Government purchasing the ivory stock covered by Licences to Possess from the traders and donate it to the local museums for conservation education and exhibition purposes; if not, of the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for the Environment

*14. Dr Hon Helena WONG to ask: (Translation)


According to a study report published in the United States in 2015, the life-long medical treatment fees for a person living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus ("HIV") was US$338,000 (i.e. around HK$2,629,640). In the past three years, the average expenditure incurred by the Hospital Authority ("HA") on the use of prophylaxis on people after exposure to HIV, i.e. post-exposure prophylaxis ("PEP"), was around $8,800 per case. In other words, as long as one among every 290 PEP recipients can be successfully prevented from HIV infections as a result of the use of PEP, this intervention measure is cost-effective. This situation can prove that the timely use of PEP is, apart from providing effective and life-long guard against HIV infections among high-risk groups, also conducive to the Government's efforts in reducing its exorbitant expenditure on anti-HIV drugs. However, the Scientific Committee on Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome and Sexually Transmitted Infections ("the Scientific Committee") currently does not recommend the routine use of PEP for non-occupational exposure to HIV (e.g. exposure to HIV through sexual contact) for the prevention of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome ("AIDS"). On the other hand, in its Recommended HIV/AIDS Strategies for Hong Kong (2017-2021) released last month, the Hong Kong Advisory Council on AIDS ("ACA") has pointed out that the number of new HIV infections has continued to escalate in recent years and that the next few years will be a critical point which may determine if the HIV epidemic in Hong Kong spins out of control. ACA has also recommended that the Scientific Committee should consider revising its recommendation on the non-occupational use of PEP. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
  • (1)of the following information in relation to the medical treatment and nursing care provided by the public sector to AIDS patients in each of the past seven financial years: (i) the expenditure incurred by the Department of Health, (ii) the expenditure incurred by HA, (iii) the number of healthcare staff involved, and (iv) the number of patients involved (set out such information in the table below);

    Financial year (i) (ii) (iii) (iv)
    2010-2011     
    2011-2012     
    2012-2013     
    2013-2014     
    2014-2015     
    2015-2016     
    2016-2017     

    (2)whether it will allocate additional resources in the coming few years to cope with the worsening HIV epidemic in Hong Kong; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

    (3)whether it will, in the light of the recommendations of ACA, request the Scientific Committee to revise its recommendation on the non-occupational use of PEP shortly; if so, of the details and timetable; if not, the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Food and Health

*15. Hon CHAN Kin-por to ask: (Translation)


The Hong Kong Mortgage Corporation Limited will introduce a life annuity scheme ("public annuity scheme") by the middle of next year at the earliest. The initial design of the scheme is as follows: (i) annuitants aged 65 or above may, after making a lump-sum premium payment, receive immediate lifetime annuity payouts on a monthly basis, (ii) a cap and a floor on the premium amount are set at $1 million and $50,000 respectively, and (iii) the initial scale of the scheme is $10 billion. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
  • (1)whether it will, after the introduction of the public annuity scheme, conduct consultations targeting people of different age groups and social strata, in order to determine whether the scale of the scheme needs to be expanded; if so, of the timetable; if not, the reasons for that;

    (2)whether it will make reference to private annuity schemes and adopt more flexible arrangements in the implementation of the public annuity scheme, such as allowing members of the public to make premium payment at the age of 60 but to start to receive annuity payouts at the age of 65, with a view to increasing the amount of the annuity payouts; and

    (3)whether it will conduct a study on linking up the public annuity scheme with the mandatory provident fund ("MPF") schemes so that elderly people can opt to inject the accrued benefits withdrawn from the MPF schemes into the public annuity scheme, and increasing the cap on the premium amount, in order to improve the retirement protection for middle-class people; if it will not, of the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury

*16. Hon CHAN Chi-chuen to ask: (Translation)


The Government told this Council on 15 June last year that to reduce the impact of aircraft noise on the residents living near the flight paths, the Civil Aviation Department ("CAD") had implemented a number of aircraft noise abating measures in accordance with the balanced objectives, promulgated by the International Civil Aviation Organization ("ICAO"), of managing aircraft noise. Such measures included requiring aircraft in the small hours to avoid, as far as possible, overflying populated areas, and to adopt ICAO's noise abatement departure procedure during take-off and the continuous descent approach for landing. Moreover, with a view to encouraging more airlines to deploy quieter types of aircraft, the Airport Authority Hong Kong ("AAHK") was studying the introduction of environmental charges in relation to aircraft noise, and would consult the aviation industry and the relevant stakeholders on the findings of the study. Yet, I have learnt that aircraft noise during the period between 11:00 pm each day and 7:00 am of the next day still often causes nuisance to a number of residents at present, making it difficult for them to fall asleep. In recent months, I have even received complaints from Ma Wan residents pointing out that quite a number of aircraft still overfly Ma Wan at an altitude below 5 000 feet after take-off, in contravention of the authorities' undertaking made years ago that all aircraft departing Hong Kong would overfly Ma Wan at an altitude not lower than 7 000 feet. In addition, some aircraft overfly the urban areas at an altitude below 7 500 feet, causing residents in the urban areas to suffer greatly from aircraft noise nuisance. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
  • (1)of the respective numbers of aircraft departing Hong Kong last year overflew Ma Wan at altitudes (i) below 5 000 feet, (ii) between 5 000 and 7 000 feet, and (iii) above 7 000 feet (set out in a table);

    (2)of the monthly data, recorded during the period between 11:00 pm each day and 7:00 am of the next day from April last year to May this year by various aircraft noise monitoring terminals, on aircraft noise levels which reached (i) 70 to 74 decibels ("dBs"), (ii) 75 to 79 dBs, and (iii) 80 dBs or above;

    (3)among the aircraft departing Hong Kong last year, of the types of those with noise levels reaching 80 dBs or above, and the airlines to which such aircraft belonged;

    (4)whether it knows the latest progress of the study conducted by AAHK on the introduction of the aforesaid environmental charges; and

    (5)whether CAD will further strengthen the existing aircraft noise abating measures to reduce the nuisance caused to residents in the districts concerned; if so, of the details?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Transport and Housing

*17. Dr Hon CHIANG Lai-wan to ask: (Translation)


I have learnt that recently, when meeting a public officer, an assistance seeker made, without informing the other party, an audio recording of their conversation. Upon learning about the incident, the public officer was dissatisfied and relayed it to a supervisor. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether:
  • (1)it has studied if, in the event of a public officer facing a criminal trial or disciplinary inquiry, audio recordings of his/her conversations with other persons made without his/her knowledge will normally be admitted as evidence; if it has studied and the outcome is in the affirmative, whether it has assessed if such a situation is tantamount to encouraging the making of an audio recording of the contents of a conversation by a party thereto without the knowledge of the other party;

    (2)it has studied under what circumstances the audio recording of a conversation by a party thereto without the knowledge of the other party will constitute the offence of "access to computer with criminal or dishonest intent" under section 161 of the Crimes Ordinance (Cap. 200); when a public officer reports a similar incident to the Police, whether the Police will conduct criminal investigation to find out if anyone has committed the said offence; if they will not, what type of case into which the relevant incident will be classified by the Police for handling; and

    (3)it will implement effective measures to promote mutual trust between public officers and members of the public so as to reduce the occurrence of similar incidents; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for the Civil Service

*18. Prof Hon Joseph LEE to ask: (Translation)


In order to ensure the supply of safe blood to patients in Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service ("BTS") carries out tests for infectious diseases, including test for Human Immuno-deficiency Virus ("HIV"), on each unit of blood collected. According to the blood donation guidelines of BTS, any person who has a higher risk of being infected with viruses due to certain behaviours (e.g. a man who has had sex with another man) should not give blood. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
  • (1)of the number of cases in the past 10 years of HIV infections suspected to be caused by blood transfusion; whether BTS had conducted investigations to see if the blood concerned had passed the infectious disease tests and if the blood donors concerned had violated the blood donation guidelines;

    (2)whether any mechanism is in place to monitor the compliance with the blood donation guidelines by persons who wish to give blood, so as to ensure blood safety; and

    (3)given that some countries (e.g. the United States and New Zealand) allow a man who did not have sex with another man in the past 12 months to give blood, whether it knows if BTS will review its practice of imposing lifetime deferral on that type of persons; if BTS will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Food and Health

*19. Hon LUK Chung-hung to ask: (Translation)


Currently, various policy bureaux/government departments ("B/Ds") may, through the "body-shopping" contract (commonly known as "T-contract") centrally managed by the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer, engage contractors to employ information technology ("IT") contract staff under a term contract ("T-contract staff") to provide IT services and support. Some trade unions have recently relayed to me that the remuneration packages of such staff are inferior to those of civil servants with comparable responsibilities. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
  • (1)whether it will include the T-contract staff's remuneration packages (including wage levels and working hours) pledged by tenderers in their tendering documents as the assessment criteria for T-contracts; if so, of the details (including the weightings of such criteria); if not, the reasons for that;

    (2)whether it will set and publish the minimum remuneration packages that contractors are required to offer to T-contract staff of various ranks, so as to prevent the wages of such staff from being suppressed or wrongfully deducted;

    (3)whether it will regularly conduct random checks or request contractors to submit the records for wage payments of T-contract staff, so as to monitor whether contractors have paid wages in accordance with the remuneration package provisions set out in the employment contracts they signed with their staff; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

    (4)whether it will step up its efforts in publicizing among administrators of T-contracts, contractors and T-contract staff in various B/Ds the labour rights and interests to which such type of employees are entitled; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Innovation and Technology

*20. Dr Hon Pierre CHAN to ask: (Translation)


Some members of the sports community have pointed out that futsal has become increasingly popular in Asia and even around the world, and has been listed as one of the events of the Youth Olympic Games in summer 2018 and the East Asian Youth Games in 2019. However, as futsal in Hong Kong has not gained enough attention from the Government and the Hong Kong Football Association ("HKFA"), the development of the sport is hindered by the lack of facilities and policy support. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
  • (1)whether it knows the respective current rankings in the world and in Asia for the Men Team and the Women Team of the Hong Kong Futsal Representative Team in the Federation Internationale de Football Association ("FIFA");

    (2)whether it has studied the development of futsal in Hong Kong and how it compares with that in the neighbouring countries/regions; if so, of the outcome; if not, whether it will expeditiously commission a consultancy study on this;

    (3)of the following information on each of the futsal pitches currently managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department ("LCSD") (set out in a table):

    (i)address,

    (ii)located indoors or outdoors,

    (iii)length and width of the pitch,

    (iv)pitch surfacing materials,

    (v)which of the following cases applies: installed with boundary fencing which also serves as rebound walls, installed with independent boundary fencing and rebound walls, or with none of these two facilities,

    (vi)whether or not the pitch is in compliance with FIFA's standards for non-international matches,

    (vii)whether or not the pitch is in compliance with FIFA's standards for international matches, and

    (viii)construction cost;

    (4)whether it knows the respective numbers and year-on-year changes, in each of the past five years, of futsal (i) players, (ii) coaches (including holders of certificates of various levels of coaching issued by HKFA and the Asian Football Confederation) and (iii) referees, who were registered with HKFA;

    (5)of (i) the details of the promotional efforts dedicated to futsal made by the authorities (including such efforts' effectiveness and expenses), and (ii) the total attendance of players and spectators in the futsal matches organized or sponsored by LCSD, in each of the past five years; and

    (6)whether the authorities will, in the coming five years, construct new futsal pitches, or convert existing futsal pitches into ones, which meet FIFA's standards for international matches; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Home Affairs

*21. Hon Kenneth LEUNG to ask: (Translation)


In July last year, the Government selected 16 applicants to join the Food Truck Pilot Scheme ("the Pilot Scheme"). Since the official launch of the Pilot Scheme on 2 February this year, 12 food trucks have commenced business after obtaining the relevant licences. The various food trucks are required to operate in eight designated tourist locations on a rotational basis. However, some operators have pointed out that their businesses at certain operating locations are poor due to low flow of people. Shortly after the launch of the Pilot Scheme, an operator dropped out before commencing operation. After the introduction of a number of enhancement measures by the authorities in April this year, another operator dropped out before commencing operation. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
  • (1)whether the authorities have, since the official launch of the Pilot Scheme, compiled statistics on the operation of food trucks (including the flow of people and the turnover of the operators at different times at various operating locations); if so, of the outcomes; if not, whether they will compile such statistics;

    (2)whether the authorities will consider changing the positioning of the Pilot Scheme as a tourism promotion project, and designating more locations with a heavy flow of people as the operating locations for food trucks so as to improve the business environment of food trucks; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

    (3)whether it has established a mechanism for maintaining communication with the operators continuously, so as to understand the operational difficulties encountered by them; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

    (4)whether it has gained an understanding about the reasons for some operators dropping out of the Pilot Scheme, and conducted a review of the Pilot Scheme to prevent other operators from dropping out; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development

*22. Dr Hon YIU Chung-yim to ask: (Translation)


Will the Government, on the basis of the Quarterly Reports on General Household Survey published by the Census and Statistics Department, provide this Council with the following annual statistics for 1997, 2002, 2007, 2012 and 2016:
  • (1)the range, median and mean of the monthly domestic household income of each of the decile groups into which all domestic households are divided after being ranked in terms of their monthly incomes (in ascending order);

    (2)the range, median and mean of the per-capita monthly household income of each of the decile groups into which all Hong Kong people are divided after being ranked in terms of their per-capita monthly household incomes (in ascending order);

    (3)the range, median and mean of the employment earnings of employed persons of each of the decile groups into which all employed persons are divided after being ranked in terms of their monthly employment earnings (in ascending order);

    (4)in respect of the decile groups into which all employed persons are divided after being ranked in terms of their monthly employment earnings (in ascending order), a further breakdown of the employed persons of each group respectively by gender, age group, educational attainment, employment status (i.e. employee, employer and self-employed), industry section and occupational group; and

    (5)the respective Gini coefficients compiled on the basis of (i) monthly domestic household income, (ii) per-capita monthly household income, and (iii) employment earnings of employed persons?
Public Officer to reply : Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury

* For written reply

III. Government Bills



First Reading

1.Statute Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017

2.Chinese Medicine (Amendment) Bill 2017

3.Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants (Amendment) Bill 2017

Second Reading (Debate to be adjourned)

1.Statute Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017:Secretary for Justice

2.Chinese Medicine (Amendment) Bill 2017:Secretary for Food and Health

3.Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants (Amendment) Bill 2017

:Secretary for the Environment

Second Reading (Debate to resume), Committee Stage and Third Reading

1.Arbitration (Amendment) Bill 2016:Secretary for Justice

Secretary for Justice to move Committee stage amendments
(The amendments were issued on 2 June 2017
under LC Paper No. CB(3) 636/16-17)

(Debate and voting arrangements for Committee stage of the Arbitration (Amendment) Bill 2016 (issued on 13 June 2017 under LC Paper No. CB(3) 672/16-17(01)) (same as the Appendix to the Script of Council meeting of 14 June 2017))

2.Arbitration and Mediation Legislation (Third Party Funding) (Amendment) Bill 2016 :Secretary for Justice

Secretary for Justice to move Committee stage amendments
(The amendments were issued on 7 June 2017
under LC Paper No. CB(3) 645/16-17)

(Debate and voting arrangements for Committee stage of the Arbitration and Mediation Legislation (Third Party Funding) (Amendment) Bill 2016 (issued on 13 June 2017 under LC Paper No. CB(3) 673/16-17(01)) (same as the Appendix to the Script of Council meeting of 14 June 2017))

3.Cross-boundary Movement of Physical Currency and Bearer Negotiable Instruments Bill:Secretary for Security

IV. Motions



1.Proposed resolution under the Public Bus Services Ordinance

Secretary for Transport and Housing to move the following motion:

Resolved that the franchise granted on 28 March 2017 under section 5 of the Public Bus Services Ordinance (Cap. 230) to The Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited (九龍巴士(一九三三)有限公司) and published in the Gazette as G.N. 1773 of 2017 is not subject to sections 27, 28, 29 and 31 of that Ordinance for the entire period of the franchise.

2.Five proposed resolutions under section 34(2) of the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance

Secretary for Food and Health to move the motion in Appendix I.

Hon SHIU Ka-fai to move the motion in Appendix II.

Dr Hon Fernando CHEUNG to move the motion in Appendix III.

Hon SHIU Ka-fai to move the motion in Appendix IV.

Hon SHIU Ka-fai to move the motion in Appendix V.

(The 5 motions were also issued on 9 and 12 June 2017
under LC Paper Nos. CB(3) 659/16-17 and CB(3) 663/16-17)

(Debate and voting arrangements for five proposed resolutions to amend the Smoking (Public Health) (Notices) (Amendment) Order 2017 (issued on 13 June 2017 under LC Paper No. CB(3) 674/16-17(01)) (same as the Appendix to the Script of Council meeting of 14 June 2017))

V. Members' Motions



1.Proposed resolution under section 34(4) of the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance

Hon LEUNG Che-cheung to move the following motion:

Resolved that in relation to the Waterworks (Amendment) Regulation 2017, published in the Gazette as Legal Notice No. 81 of 2017, and laid on the table of the Legislative Council on 24 May 2017, the period for amending subsidiary legislation referred to in section 34(2) of the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance (Cap. 1) be extended under section 34(4) of that Ordinance to the meeting of 12 July 2017.

2.Proposed resolution under section 34(4) of the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance

Hon WONG Ting-kwong to move the following motion:

Resolved that in relation to the Toys and Children's Products Safety Ordinance (Amendment of Schedules 1 and 2) Notice 2017, published in the Gazette as Legal Notice No. 102 of 2017, and laid on the table of the Legislative Council on 24 May 2017, the period for amending subsidiary legislation referred to in section 34(2) of the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance (Cap. 1) be extended under section 34(4) of that Ordinance to the meeting of 12 July 2017.

3.Motion under Rule 49E(2) of the Rules of Procedure

Hon Starry LEE to move the following motion: That this Council takes note of Report No. 20/16-17 of the House Committee laid on the Table of the Council on 14 June 2017 in relation to the subsidiary legislation and instrument(s) as listed below:

Item Number Title of Subsidiary Legislation or Instrument

(8)Promotion of Recycling and Proper Disposal (Electrical Equipment and Electronic Equipment) (Amendment) Ordinance 2016 (Commencement) Notice 2017 (L.N. 73/2017).

Public Officer to attend : Secretary for the Environment

4.Formulating a bicycle-friendly policy and designating bicycles as a mode of transport

Hon HUI Chi-fung to move the following motion: (Translation)

That this Council urges the Government to designate bicycles as a mode of transport and expeditiously formulate a bicycle-friendly policy for Hong Kong to encourage the public to commute by bicycles in urban and rural areas, so as to achieve the objectives of improving roadside air quality and promoting low-carbon transport; specific measures under the policy include:

(1)reserving lands for the construction of cycle tracks when undertaking urban renewal, so as to perfect the urban cycle track networks;

(2)adding cycle tracks with integrated usage of transport, leisure and sports to new harbourfront development projects;

(3)providing additional bicycle parking spaces in the whole of Hong Kong, and in particular, adding public bicycle parking spaces and relevant ancillary facilities to government buildings and premises of public organizations;

(4)exploring the addition of a provision to the terms of Government leases and conditions of sale, requiring the inclusion of bicycle-related ancillary facilities in new development projects;

(5)revising the content of the Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines concerning bicycle facilities, and altering the design of roadside gutter covers, so as to foster a bicycle-friendly environment;

(6)launching a pilot scheme of providing 'bicycles only' lanes or 'inclusive traffic' lanes on the non-major trunk roads of urban areas;

(7)having regard to the premise of pedestrian safety, permitting the use of bicycles on designated pavements with spacious area;

(8)exploring the legalization of motor-driven bicycles;

(9)stepping up publicity and education to instill in the public the knowledge about sharing roads with cyclists and include the content of sharing roads with cyclists in the syllabus of driving tests, so as to enhance motorists' awareness of the related information;

(10)further relaxing the existing restrictions on people travelling on public transport with bicycles;

(11)encouraging and assisting the development of the bicycle-sharing and self-service bicycle hiring industries; and

(12)reviewing cycle track management and signage design in the territory to ensure their compliance with international standards.

Amendments to the motion
(i)Hon LUK Chung-hung to move the following amendment: (Translation)

To add "since bicycles are recognized as a mode of green transport," after "That"; to add "through planning" after "construction of cycle tracks"; to add "by making reference to the experience of overseas countries in providing parking facilities for bicycles, such as the underground bicycle parking venues in Japan" after "public organizations"; to delete "bicycle facilities" after "concerning" and substitute with "the quantities of bicycle parking spaces provided in different areas, and implementing the recommendations on improving the design of cycle tracks made in the Transport Department's report on Traffic and Transport Consultancy Study on Cycling Networks and Parking Facilities in existing new towns in Hong Kong, including the erection of appropriate traffic signs, widening of cycle tracks at curved sections, replacing traditional steel bollards by collapsible plastic bollards as well as properly covering the existing U-channels"; to add "by making reference to the practices of European and other countries where road markings of designated cycle lanes are added onto carriageways to ensure that cyclists enjoy equal rights to use roads" after "urban areas"; to add ", and introducing consequential amendments to the Road Traffic Ordinance to enhance the regulations governing the use of pavements by cyclists" after "spacious area"; to add "and cyclists' " after "motorists' "; to delete "the related information" after "awareness of" and substitute with "road safety"; to delete "encouraging and assisting" after "(11)" and substitute with "actively formulating a policy to assist local bicycle manufacturing and related industries, including"; to delete "and" after "bicycle-sharing" and substitute with ","; to add ", bicycle servicing and repairing as well as bicycle accessories" after "hiring"; to delete "and" after "industries;"; and to add "; and (13) organizing more large-scale cycling races and cycling-related activities to cultivate the interest of the public in cycling, so as to turn bicycles into a mode of transport of the public" immediately before the full stop.

(ii)Hon CHAN Han-pan to move the following amendment: (Translation)

To add "since more and more people use bicycles as a mode of transport or for recreational purposes," after "That"; to delete "when undertaking urban renewal, so as to perfect the urban cycle tracks networks" after "construction of cycle tracks" and substitute with "in appropriate districts, and expeditiously completing the connection works on linking up the cycle tracks in eastern and western New Territories, so as to connect the cycle tracks in various districts of the New Territories"; to delete "with integrated usage of transport, leisure and sports" after "adding cycle tracks"; to delete "providing additional bicycle parking spaces in the whole of Hong Kong, and in particular," after "(3)" and substitute with "comprehensively reviewing the supply of bicycle parking spaces, including"; to delete "and relevant ancillary facilities" after "public bicycle parking spaces"; to delete "and" after "buildings" and substitute with ","; to add ", stations along the railway lines, outlying island ferry piers, etc. and introducing a new automated bicycle parking system and other relevant ancillary facilities" after "public organizations"; to add ", and assisting existing housing estates in providing more bicycle parking spaces" after "new development projects"; to delete "or 'inclusive traffic' lanes" after " 'bicycles only' lanes"; to delete "having regard to the premise of pedestrian safety, permitting the use of bicycles on designated pavements with spacious area; (8) exploring" after "(7)" and substitute with "commencing a study on"; to delete the original "(9)" and substitute with "(8)"; to delete "include" after "cyclists and" and substitute with "enhance"; to delete the original "(10)" and substitute with "(9)"; to add "following extensive consultation with various stakeholders, exploring" before "further relaxing"; to delete the original "(11)" and substitute with "(10)"; to delete "the development of the bicycle-sharing and self-service bicycle hiring industries; and" after "assisting" and substitute with "bicycle hiring services in different operation modes to be developed in a fair and regulated environment;"; to delete the original "(12)" and substitute with "(11)"; and to delete "their compliance with international standards" immediately before the full stop and substitute with "easy understanding by the public; and (12) regularly conducting inspections and surveys on cycle tracks and expeditiously repairing damaged facilities to ensure safety of users".

(iii)Dr Hon YIU Chung-yim to move the following amendment: (Translation)

To add "providing 'bicycles only' lanes in urban areas and" after "(1)"; to delete "and" after "buildings" and substitute with ","; and to add "and areas with heavy pedestrian flows" after "public organizations".

(iv)Hon Charles Peter MOK to move the following amendment: (Translation)

To delete "and" after "industries;"; and to add "; and (13) designing suitable cycling routes based on the planning of a smart city through the effective use of data, so as to enhance traffic benefits" immediately before the full stop.

Public Officers to attend :Secretary for Transport and Housing
Under Secretary for Transport and Housing

5.Advocating the establishment of a 'baby fund'

Dr Hon CHIANG Lai-wan to move the following motion: (Translation)

That children of the new generation are our successors in future society and we in this generation should endeavour to properly pave the way for them to enter the workforce; in this connection, this Council urges the Government to, through different forms of financial assistance, including making reference to the practices adopted by the existing Child Development Fund and the many overseas sustainable growth funds with savings elements, establish for newborns a sustainable and cumulative 'baby fund' consisting of joint savings by the Government, families and third parties (such as relatives and friends of the fund holders); the fund should be used mainly for further studies, home acquisition and coping with critical illnesses, and can be combined with retirement protection, so that children can develop the habit of keeping personal savings at a tender age to make preparations for the future; the fund also allows children from families with different financial situations to have more opportunities of upward mobility, thereby narrowing the disparity between the rich and the poor and alleviating cross-generational poverty, so that they will be hopeful in their upbringing, more confident when entering the workforce, and more positive and optimistic in facing the future.

Amendments to the motion
(i)Hon HO Kai-ming to move the following amendment: (Translation)

To delete "children of the new generation" after "That" and substitute with "the Government proposed 'enhancing the quality of our home-grown talent' in the report entitled 'Population Policy - Strategies and Initiatives' published in 2015, and children"; to delete "including" after "assistance," and substitute with "establish with the fiscal surplus or by way of capital injection a 'baby fund' at two levels, namely, the social level and the personal level; the 'baby fund' established at the social level can be used for promoting various measures conducive to children's growth and development, such as improvement of community baby caring facilities, enhancement of community child care services, as well as extension of free quality kindergarten education to whole-day and long whole-day kindergartens, and also for providing additional support to children from grass-roots families; the 'baby fund' established at the personal level can, by"; to delete "a" after "newborns"; to delete " 'baby fund' " after "cumulative" and substitute with "accounts"; to delete "the fund should be used mainly for" after "fund holders);" and substitute with "this type of fund should provide tax deduction for families and third parties making contributions and should be used, according to the children's wish, for their personal growth and development, including growth planning, cultivation of hobbies, as well as"; to delete "and" after "acquisition" and substitute with ","; to add ", etc." after "illnesses"; to delete "retirement protection" after "combined with" and substitute with "children's savings-related insurance, education funds, etc."; and to delete "the fund" after "future;" and substitute with "this type of fund".

(ii)Hon SHIU Ka-chun to move the following amendment: (Translation)

To delete "of the new generation" after "That children"; to delete "future" after "successors in"; to delete "the" after "pave" and substitute with "a fair"; to add ", so as to prevent cross-generational poverty, and at the same time promote inter-generational justice" after "enter the workforce"; to add "first introduce a universal baby allowance to enable all children to enjoy basic livelihood protection in line with the requirements of the Convention on the Rights of the Child before considering" after "the Government to"; to add "other" after "through"; to delete "establish" after "elements," and substitute with "establishing"; and to delete "third parties (such as relatives and friends of the fund holders); the fund should be used mainly for further studies, home acquisition and coping with critical illnesses, and can be combined with retirement protection, so that children can develop the habit of keeping personal savings at a tender age to make preparations for the future; the fund also allows children from families with different financial situations to have more opportunities of upward mobility, thereby narrowing the disparity between the rich and the poor and alleviating cross-generational poverty, so that they will be hopeful in their upbringing, more confident when entering the workforce, and more positive and optimistic in facing the future" immediately before the full stop and substitute with "private enterprises, in order for various parties to jointly inject resources as investment in the future of society; a ceiling should be imposed on the monthly contributions for the fund, the use of which should not be subject to any restriction".

Public Officer to attend : Secretary for Labour and Welfare

VI. Requests for Special Leave of the Council to Give Evidence of Council Proceedings



Two requests made under section 7 of the Legislative Council (Powers and Privileges) Ordinance (Cap. 382) and Rule 90 of the Rules of Procedure for special leave of the Council to give evidence of Council proceedings

1.Department of Justice's request is in Appendix VI and was also issued on 1 June 2017 under LC Paper No. CB(3) 625/16-17.

2.Department of Justice's request is in Appendix VII and was also issued on 5 June 2017 under LC Paper No. CB(3) 638/16-17.

Clerk to the Legislative Council